Does my Meyer think of me as a mate or parent?

[maryyy361]

Hello All,
This is a question out of curiosity: I have had my 5-6 yr old male Meyer's parrot, Charlie, for almost 6 months and he has adapted very well to me and my family members. Having owned parrots before, I know there is a chance of mating like behavior and getting a male bird I expected to see that, but Charlie has not shown any mating behaviors at all. When I have him in my chest and he is nestled in my hand he will occasionally hiss if someone comes close to me but after he sees that it is only my mom (who he has also bonded with) he doesn't do it again. He has not regurgitated (thank goodness lol) but does really enjoy being under my hand while I scratch his head and will often click or growl if I stop. Charlie is timid when it comes to 'people food'. He only likes to take food from me, specifically Cheerios, even though I offer him the bowl he prefers to take it from my hand.

So does he see me as a flock member, or maybe a parent since he has not demonstrated any mating behaviors? Is it too soon to tell?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I'd expect he see's you as a flock member, but if he's hissing at people approaching you he may be thinking of you as a potential mate since he is a fully mature birdd, especially if your touching him anywhere other than his head.

 

[maryyy361]

I usually only scratch the back of his head, he just likes to nestle his body in my hand and he sometimes dozes off.